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ARTHUR G. MOlVAN, OF SOUTH BERGEN, NElV JERSEY.

' I Letters i alent N'o. 66,102, dated June 25, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAKING PHOTOGBAPHIG TRANSFERS.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, An'rntn G. MOWAN, of South Bergen, in the county ofHudson, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulimprovements in the Art of Making Photographic Transfers; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, elear, and exactdescription thereof, and the manner in which it is to be operated.

This invention consists in a new process of making photographictransfers, and has for its principal object the reproduction ofdrawings, engravings, printed matter, manuscripts, and other similarthings, by the action of light, so that the reproduced figures, forms,or letters, may be readily transferred to stone, zinc, or other metallicsurface for printing or engraving, in the manner hereinafter described.By this process the operation is much facilitated, and results superiorto those produced by any process heretofore linown are effected,especially in the reproduction of line engravings, printed matter, andmanuscripts.

My improved process consists of six distinct, features or elements,which are here stated in the order in which they constitute my entireprocess of photographic transfer; and such of the methods, preparations,or sub-processes as I claim to be my own invention, both in and distinctfrom their ofliccs in the whole combined process, are herein soindicated, and those which I suppose not to be in themselves newfeatures, are in like manner so specified. First, the preparation of thepaper on which the photographic picture is to be formed; second, thepreparation and application of the coating for the paper, which is toconstitute a material to receive the action of the light and form thepicture upon the paper; third, the transfer of the picture from thenegative to the paper by the action of the light; fourth, thepreparation and application to the surface of the paper so bearing thepicture of a second coating. to give color to the picture and to form amedium for transferring the picture from the paper to a surface ofstone, wood, or metal; fifth, the removal of both coatings from theparts or spaces not covered by the picture; sixth, the imprint of thepicture so made and developed upon stone, zinc, or other metallicsurface, or wood.

And the following description wiil enable those who are skilled in theart of making photographic transfers I to carry out and apply myprocess, and also to distinguish it and its several parts from processesheretofore known.

A ncgat '-'e may be taken in the ordinary way, of any print, printedmatter, or writing which it is desired to engrave or multiply, or, ifthe design is originally taken for the purposes of this mode oftransfer, it may be made or tra ed upon glass which has been coated witha film of asphaltum, varnish, or otheropaque matter that will answer thepurpose, orany other mode may be adopted for producing the picture insuch a way as to give alternate opacity and transparency ortransluccncy, so that a proof may be printed through it by the action.of the light. Having a picture so made or traced upon a material throughwhich the light can act, I proceed as follows:

First. I take any good paper which has a suitable texture forphotographic printing (Faxc's being pre ferrcd,) and dip it in a bath ofsour-mill: whey or lactine, for the purpose of giving it greatersolidity and power to resist the chemical substances afterwards to beapplied to it, and then dry it at an ordinary temperature. Paper sotreated will resist the subsequent stages of this process much betterthan the ordinary albuminized paper which is not so dipped in the wheyor laetine. It is not necessary that the paper should be firstalbuminized before applying the whey, but if it has been, the wheyimproves the paper for this use. The albumen of the whey or lactine maybe cleared from it by heating it before using it as a bath. It isbest-to apply the whey to both sides of the paper. The preparation ofthe paper by immersing it in a bath of lactine or whey is not new ofitself, but the use of paper so treated, whether it has been albuminiscdor not, in combination with the other parts and features of my process,I believe to be new.

Second. For the purpose of coating the paper so prepared with a suitablematerial to receive the action of the light and form the picture, andalso to be capable of ready solution in water whcreit has not been actedon by the light, I take half a pound of French gclatine, or French glue,and dissolve it in a pint of water; and

, while it is boiling I add to it a solution of one-third of an'ouncc ofpermanganate of potassa in--a quart of water. This composition, whencool, is ready for use. I apply it to the surface of the paper soprepared, and

allow it to dry in a darlr room. The paper is then rcady to receive thephotographic impression, which may be talten in the ordinary way under anegative or other alternately opaque and transparent or translucentdesigm The use of permanganate of potnssa, in combination with thegelstinc, I claim who now, and its advantages are these: first, itprevents the gelatine from coagulating before it has been acted upon bythe light, which is a great benefit, and one that has notbecn realized,so far as I am aware. by the combination with gelatine of any otheringredient capable of being used to advantage in its place; secondly, itworks better and sharper incombination with gelatinc in its exposure tothe light, and in the subsequent washing, than biehromate of potassa,

which has been heretofore combined with gelatine for the so a purpose.In directing thcusc of gclatine,

however, in combinationwith permanganate of potassa, I do not mean toconfine my claim to the use of gelatine alone, because there may beother substances which, in this combination, may be usedas theequivalent ofgelatine, namely, to form a combination that will act as asupporter of the bituminous coating hereinafter mentioned, and at thesame time be capable of being so affected by the washing hereinaftermentioned as to discharge itself and the superincumbcnt bituminouscoating hereinafter described from those parts which have not been actedupon by the iight, and to retain the bituminous coating where it oughtto be retained.

Third. I produce the impression of the picture on the paper so coated,hsabove described, in the usual way, by allowing the light to act upon thesurface of the paper through the negative or alternately opaque andtransparent or translucent surface on which the picture is traced.

Fourth. I then prepare and apply a. second coating of the paper, to givecolor to the picture and to form i a medium for transferring thepicture, as follows: Immediately after taking the impression upon thepaper, and before developing the impression, I coat the paper evenlyupon the side which has been coated with the solution of gelatine andpermanganate of potassa, with a composition made of equal parts of Judcabitumen, white wax,

and Burgundy pitch, dissolved in a sutlicient quantity of essence oflavender to malre it capable of being properly spread with a brush in athin and uniform coating, and after spreading it allow it to dry n thedark. Asphalturn or Judea bitumen has been before used for the same orsimilar purpose as that for which it is here employed, combined with oneor the other or both of the other ingredients above mentioned, but insuch further combinations as to form compositions entirely different intheir working, for the purposes of a process of photographic transfer,from the composition invented by me; for in such previous compositionsthe further ingredient of grease or oil has been introduced, and this Ideem essential to avoid, because when present it gives the composition agreater tendency to penetrate the paper and spoil the picture byproducing a semi-transparency in spots, than the one I have described,and it would also have a tendency to prevent the proper action of thefinal bath upon the permanganate of potassa a nd gelatine. It isindispensable, however, that the coating used for this purpose shouldcontain some ingredient or ingredients which will cause it to transferand adhere to a surface on which it may be impressed. The combination ofJudea bitumen, wax, and Burgundy pitch, which is above described,accomplishes this result, and gives a tenacity and a sharpness ofoutline which are highly satisfactory. s

Fifth. For the purpose of developing the picture upon the paper by theremoval of the coatings from the parts or spaces not acted on by thelight, I place the proof so coated, with its black side upward, in abath of cold water, which dissolves the permanganate in those partsorspaces which have notbccn acted on by thelight, carrying with it thesuperincumbent coating of bitumen, wax, and Burgundy pitch, and I finishcleaning the proof by a few strokes of the sponge, after which it isdried, when it is ready to be transferred.

Sixth. I transfer the picture, made and developed in the manner abovedescribed, by contact and pressure, to a. lithographic stone, or to zincor other metal, or wood, in the ordinary manner, to be printed from ifupon stone, or etched or engraved if upon metal or wood.

The above-described process enables me to transfer to a lithographicstone to be printed, or to metal plates, or to wood to be ctchcdorengraved, almost or quite any design or imprint, in such a manner as togive sharp ness of outline and a clcarness not hitherto attained, and,if conducted with reasonable care, insures great certainty in theresult. 'hcn the design is transferred upon stone in the manner I havedescribed, it may be printed from the same as any ordinary lithographictransfer. When it is transferred upon zinc or other metal plate, it mayhe etched in any of the well-known modes known to engravers, thecomposition of bitumen, wax, and Burgundy pitch protecting the partscovered by them from the action of the etching fluid. When the design istransferred upon wood it forms a clear, well-defined, and bold outline,to guide the engraver in his execution of the work of cutting: but theselast uses of these improvements will probably be of less importance,owing to the fact that the design can be much more cheaply and readilytransferred to a metal plate, and at once etphed, when it will be readyfor the press. When it is desirable to engrave in sunk lines, ns is verycommonly done upon the harder metals, such as c pper and steel, apositive print can bctalten upon glass in the usual manner, and theremainder of the process conducted the same as already described.

I claim as my inventionc l 1. The combined process, hcreinbeforedescribed, for making photographic transfers by means of the severalmethods, preparations, applications, and compositions above described,or their equivalents.

2. I also claim the several elements of my invention, as-

First. .The preparation of the paper by a bath of whey or lsctine, asabove described, when used in combination with the other elements of theprocess above described, or their equivalents.

Second. The preparotion and application of the coating of gelatine, orits equivalent, and permanganate of potassa, for the purposes abovedescribed, whether the same is used in combination with the otherelements of my entire process, or is used separately therefrom, as amaterial to be acted on by the light, and subsequently to be dissolvedand removed where it has notbeen so acted upon.

Third. The use of a paper so prepared and coated, as above described, inthe formation of the impression thereon by the action of the lightaccording to the usual modu.

Fourth. The preparation and the application of the second coating, abovedcscrihed,composed of Jude: bitumen, white wax, and Burgundy pitch, ortheir equivalents, without grease or oil, f r the purposes abovedescribed, whether the same is used in combination with the otherelements oi my entire process, or is used separately therefrom, as amaterial to give color to the picture on the paper, and to not as amedium for transferring it.

Fifth. The removal of both the coatings above described from the partsor spaces not acted on by the light, by placing the paper so preparedand coated with the materials above described, or their equivalents, ina bath of cold water, in the manner above described, and cleaning it inthe manner above described, or by my equivalent method o[ solution andremoval.

Sixth. The impressing of a photographic picture or design, or printed orwritten matter, upon stone, wood, or metal, from a paper proof made andprepared as above described, and by the several means above described,for the purpose of engraving, lithe-graphing, etching, or preparingplates for printing such picture, design, or printed or written matter.

. A. G. MOWAN.

Witnesses:

Tuos. P. How, H. Janus Wxs'rox.

